Celebes Macaque (Macaca nigra)

MORPHOLOGY: This species has cheek pouches to carry food in while it forages. The average body mass for an adult male Celebes macaque is between 9 and 10 kilograms, and for the female it is about 7 kilograms. This species has a sagittal crest. RANGE: The Celebes macaque is found on the islands of Sulawesi which is part of the country of Indonesia. This species is found in the rainforests at moderate elevations.

ECOLOGY:
The Celebes macaque is a frugivorous species, but immature leaves, arthropods, stalks of newly flowering plants, and cultivated crops are also consumed. Generally this species raids crops for fruits, vegetables, and maize. This is a diurnal species.

LOCOMOTION:
The Celebes macaque is a quadrupedal species (Fleagle, 1988).

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR:
The Celebes macaque has a multimale-multifemale social system. Females remain in their natal group with the onset of maturity, but males will disperse shortly before adolescence. There is a hierarchical system amongst group members based upon the matriline.

VOCAL COMMUNICATION:
scream calls: This call is given by the Celebes macaque when they are approached by a non-group conspecific.

OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION:

VISUAL COMMUNICATION:
fear grimace: The lips are retracted so that the teeth are shown; the teeth are clenched together (Estes, 1991). This display functions as an appeasement signal to reduce aggression in aggressive encounters (Estes, 1991).

staring with open mouth: This is the stare accompanied by the mouth being open but the teeth are covered (Estes, 1991). This is a threat expression (Estes, 1991).

lipsmacking: This is when the lips are protruded, then smacked together repeatedly. For the Celebes macaque this display communicates aggression.

TACTILE COMMUNICATION:

REPRODUCTION:
The Celebes macaque gives birth to a single offspring.

REFERENCES:
Burton, F. 1995. The Multimedia Guide to the Non-human Primates. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.

Estes, R.D. 1991. The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. University of California Press.

Fleagle, J. G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press.

Last Updated: October 9, 2003.
[The Primata] [Primate Fact Sheets] [Subfamily Cercopithecinae] [Macaca Links]